Washington whitewater, Nason Creek

The Berne to Merritt section of Nason Creek is 8 miles long and is a class IV-V section of whitewater according to American Whitewater. The scenic beauty of Chelan County and the cool fresh water are reasons enough to come here and paddle. You might be into whitewater rafting or kayaking or both, doesn't matter, this is an area with plenty of places for that. When you're paddling down a Northern Cascade Range river like this one you

always get great scenery along the way too. On this section you do get some distance, it's good length for a morning trip. The put-in location is a reasonable drive from Ellensburg, as you can see on the road map further

down. There are some good stretches to paddle in this river system, the Berne to Merritt stretch is one of them. Whitewater rafting and kayaking in this state is often more difficult than elsewhere, so don't forget that rivers here are less forgiving. There's camping available near Nason Creek. The nearby hotels are a bit away from the river, and if you make reservations in advance you're all set. Great exercise and just hanging out with

mother nature are sure to keep you coming back for more.

Briefly about the general area: You undeniably must stop by Wenatchee National Forest while you're here at Nason Creek; going for a hike along the Icicle
Trail will let you absorb the natural beauty of this area. This place, the Northern Cascade Range, has so much outdoors exciting things. During the months of summer, highs typically are in the 60's at Nason Creek. Summer
nighttime lows sink down to the 40's. All through the wintertime this place gets highs in the 20's; overnight lows in the 10's for Nason Creek. All the water falling down from the sky makes Nason Creek a wet site.